Leading Resilient Schools
Adapting for Collective Efficacy, Impact, and Coherence
Lori Stollar
- Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Executive Director
Lori Stollar
- Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Executive Director
Lindsay Prendergast
- Assistant Director of Professional Learning, The Danielson Group
Piper Lee
- Senior Account Manager for Strategic Accounts, NWEA/HMH
Purchase
eBook
ISBN:
9798348865009
Available from
September 2026
Paperback
ISBN:
9781071989791
Available from
September 2026
Description
Build a thriving, resilient school community that adapts and succeeds together
School leaders today face a constant tug-of-war between urgent demands and important goals. Managing competing priorities, unexpected disruptions, and staff well-being can be incredibly overwhelming. Leading Resilient Schools shifts the burden of resilience from your individual shoulders to the very fabric of your school. This practical guide shows you how to transform fatigue into collective empowerment by embedding resilience into your vision, culture, and daily systems. You will explore essential topics like building trust, fostering collective efficacy, and aligning instructional leadership to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
Key features include:
- Actionable strategies to cultivate psychological safety and relational trust
- Research-grounded frameworks to strengthen collective teacher efficacy
- Practical tools and reflection prompts for sensemaking and shared ownership
Education leaders will learn how to move beyond merely surviving challenges to intentionally designing human-centered learning environments. Ultimately, students will benefit from a cohesive, agile community where they feel supported and are fully equipped to learn and flourish.
Contents
Foreword
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction
- Why This Book? Why Now? Why Resilience?
- The Imperative: Resilience as a System, Not an Individual Pursuit
- How This Book Supports You, the Education Leader
- How to Use This Book
- Lead Your School’s Resilience Journey
- Don’t Travel Alone: Learn and Lead Together
CHAPTER 1: Anchoring Resilience in a Clear Vision
- The Power of Clear Vision in a Resilient School
- Resilience in Contemporary Education Leadership
- What It Means to Be a Resilient School
- Why Resilience May Feel Elusive to Achieve
- The Mindsets of a Resilient School
- An Antidote to Uncertainty: A Clear, Collective Vision
- The Role of the Leader in Cultivating Resilience
- Co-Creating Vision: From Shared Meaning to Collective Resilience
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 2: Cultivating a Resilient School Culture
- Why School Culture Matters
- The Role of Culture in Cultivating Resilience
- Psychological Safety: The Cornerstone of a Resilient School Culture
- From Theory to Practice: Bringing Psychological Safety to Life
- The ADAPT Framework
- Cultivate Relational Trust to Sustain a Resilient Culture
- Turn Shared Vision Into Collective Direction
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 3: Building Resilient Teams
- Why Human-Centered Team Leadership Matters
- Human-Centered Leadership Builds Resilient Teams
- The Three Interconnected Dimensions of Human-Centered Leadership
- Well-Being, Belonging, and Empathy: The Foundation of Resilient Teams
- Practical Strategies for Supporting Resilient Teams
- Empowering and Investing in Staff
- Creating Individualized Growth Pathways
- Distributed Leadership Opportunities
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 4: Strengthening Collective Efficacy
- Why Collective Efficacy Matters
- The Intersections of Efficacy and Resilience
- Reflection Guides Collective Belief in Impact
- Developing the Enabling Conditions for Efficacy to Thrive
- Elevating Empowerment and Collaboration
- Strengthening Collective Efficacy Through Professional Learning Communities
- The Connection Between PLCs, Collective Efficacy, and Resilience
- The End Result: Embedded Collective Efficacy
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 5: Deepening Resilience Through Evaluative Thinking
- Why Evaluative Thinking Matters
- Developing a Discipline of Curiosity
- Evidence as the Engine of Resilient Schools
- Building the Conditions for Evaluative Thinking
- Turning Evidence into Action to Advance Learning
- The Payoff: Resilient Schools Learn
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next
CHAPTER 6: Fostering Coherence and Alignment
- Why Coherence and Alignment Matter
- Coherence as a Catalyst for Resilience and Results
- Coherence Mapping to Align Priorities
- Coherence Mapping Tool
- Communicating with Clarity to Drive Coherence
- From Fragmentation to Focus: Using Coherence and Communication to Build Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 7: Leading Instruction in Resilient Schools
- Why Leading Instruction Matters
- From Foundation to Practice: Activating Instructional Leadership
- Cultivating Inquiry Through Instructional Rounds
- Establishing Effective Instructional Round Structures
- From Reports to Rounds: Deepening Instructional Inquiry Through Evidence
- Sustaining Resilient Instructional Leadership Through Inquiry
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 8: Nurturing Future-Ready Mindsets
- Why Future-Ready Mindsets Matter
- Reframing a Future-Ready Orientation
- Transforming Resilient Schools in a BANI World
- Structures That Support Resilience
- Advancing a Future-Ready Vision Amid Uncertainty
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 9: Building an Agile School Community
- Why Agility Matters
- Organizational Agility in Schools
- Mindful Systems Create Agile Schools
- The Mediating Role of Social Capital
- The Significance of Agility in Today’s World
- Learning in the Age of Agility
- The Agile Manifesto for Learning
- The Promise and the Path Forward
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next
CHAPTER 10: Leading for Sustained Resilience
- Why Sustained Resilience Matters
- From Initiatives to Identity: Embedding Resilience as a Way of Being
- Leveraging the ADAPT Framework for Long-Term Gains
- Leadership Over Time: Stewardship, Consistency, and Adaptive Commitment
- Systems That Hold Under Pressure: Designing for Durability and Renewal
- Resilience Across Transitions: Leading Change Without Losing Coherence
- Recognizing Blind Spots in Leading Resilience
- Carrying the Work Forward: A Living Vision for Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
Epilogue
Epilogue
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
Build a thriving, resilient school community that adapts and succeeds together
School leaders today face a constant tug-of-war between urgent demands and important goals. Managing competing priorities, unexpected disruptions, and staff well-being can be incredibly overwhelming. Leading Resilient Schools shifts the burden of resilience from your individual shoulders to the very fabric of your school. This practical guide shows you how to transform fatigue into collective empowerment by embedding resilience into your vision, culture, and daily systems. You will explore essential topics like building trust, fostering collective efficacy, and aligning instructional leadership to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
Key features include:
- Actionable strategies to cultivate psychological safety and relational trust
- Research-grounded frameworks to strengthen collective teacher efficacy
- Practical tools and reflection prompts for sensemaking and shared ownership
Education leaders will learn how to move beyond merely surviving challenges to intentionally designing human-centered learning environments. Ultimately, students will benefit from a cohesive, agile community where they feel supported and are fully equipped to learn and flourish.
Contents
Foreword
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction
- Why This Book? Why Now? Why Resilience?
- The Imperative: Resilience as a System, Not an Individual Pursuit
- How This Book Supports You, the Education Leader
- How to Use This Book
- Lead Your School’s Resilience Journey
- Don’t Travel Alone: Learn and Lead Together
CHAPTER 1: Anchoring Resilience in a Clear Vision
- The Power of Clear Vision in a Resilient School
- Resilience in Contemporary Education Leadership
- What It Means to Be a Resilient School
- Why Resilience May Feel Elusive to Achieve
- The Mindsets of a Resilient School
- An Antidote to Uncertainty: A Clear, Collective Vision
- The Role of the Leader in Cultivating Resilience
- Co-Creating Vision: From Shared Meaning to Collective Resilience
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 2: Cultivating a Resilient School Culture
- Why School Culture Matters
- The Role of Culture in Cultivating Resilience
- Psychological Safety: The Cornerstone of a Resilient School Culture
- From Theory to Practice: Bringing Psychological Safety to Life
- The ADAPT Framework
- Cultivate Relational Trust to Sustain a Resilient Culture
- Turn Shared Vision Into Collective Direction
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 3: Building Resilient Teams
- Why Human-Centered Team Leadership Matters
- Human-Centered Leadership Builds Resilient Teams
- The Three Interconnected Dimensions of Human-Centered Leadership
- Well-Being, Belonging, and Empathy: The Foundation of Resilient Teams
- Practical Strategies for Supporting Resilient Teams
- Empowering and Investing in Staff
- Creating Individualized Growth Pathways
- Distributed Leadership Opportunities
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 4: Strengthening Collective Efficacy
- Why Collective Efficacy Matters
- The Intersections of Efficacy and Resilience
- Reflection Guides Collective Belief in Impact
- Developing the Enabling Conditions for Efficacy to Thrive
- Elevating Empowerment and Collaboration
- Strengthening Collective Efficacy Through Professional Learning Communities
- The Connection Between PLCs, Collective Efficacy, and Resilience
- The End Result: Embedded Collective Efficacy
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 5: Deepening Resilience Through Evaluative Thinking
- Why Evaluative Thinking Matters
- Developing a Discipline of Curiosity
- Evidence as the Engine of Resilient Schools
- Building the Conditions for Evaluative Thinking
- Turning Evidence into Action to Advance Learning
- The Payoff: Resilient Schools Learn
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next
CHAPTER 6: Fostering Coherence and Alignment
- Why Coherence and Alignment Matter
- Coherence as a Catalyst for Resilience and Results
- Coherence Mapping to Align Priorities
- Coherence Mapping Tool
- Communicating with Clarity to Drive Coherence
- From Fragmentation to Focus: Using Coherence and Communication to Build Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 7: Leading Instruction in Resilient Schools
- Why Leading Instruction Matters
- From Foundation to Practice: Activating Instructional Leadership
- Cultivating Inquiry Through Instructional Rounds
- Establishing Effective Instructional Round Structures
- From Reports to Rounds: Deepening Instructional Inquiry Through Evidence
- Sustaining Resilient Instructional Leadership Through Inquiry
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 8: Nurturing Future-Ready Mindsets
- Why Future-Ready Mindsets Matter
- Reframing a Future-Ready Orientation
- Transforming Resilient Schools in a BANI World
- Structures That Support Resilience
- Advancing a Future-Ready Vision Amid Uncertainty
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
CHAPTER 9: Building an Agile School Community
- Why Agility Matters
- Organizational Agility in Schools
- Mindful Systems Create Agile Schools
- The Mediating Role of Social Capital
- The Significance of Agility in Today’s World
- Learning in the Age of Agility
- The Agile Manifesto for Learning
- The Promise and the Path Forward
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next
CHAPTER 10: Leading for Sustained Resilience
- Why Sustained Resilience Matters
- From Initiatives to Identity: Embedding Resilience as a Way of Being
- Leveraging the ADAPT Framework for Long-Term Gains
- Leadership Over Time: Stewardship, Consistency, and Adaptive Commitment
- Systems That Hold Under Pressure: Designing for Durability and Renewal
- Resilience Across Transitions: Leading Change Without Losing Coherence
- Recognizing Blind Spots in Leading Resilience
- Carrying the Work Forward: A Living Vision for Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
Epilogue
Epilogue
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
Leading Resilient Schools
Adapting for Collective Efficacy, Impact, and Coherence
September 2026 | 200 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 13/03/2026 | 9781071989791 | $37.95 |
| Lifetime | 13/07/2026 | 9798348865009 | $34.00 |
Build a thriving, resilient school community that adapts and succeeds together
School leaders today face a constant tug-of-war between urgent demands and important goals. Managing competing priorities, unexpected disruptions, and staff well-being can be incredibly overwhelming. Leading Resilient Schools shifts the burden of resilience from your individual shoulders to the very fabric of your school. This practical guide shows you how to transform fatigue into collective empowerment by embedding resilience into your vision, culture, and daily systems. You will explore essential topics like building trust, fostering collective efficacy, and aligning instructional leadership to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
Key features include:
- Actionable strategies to cultivate psychological safety and relational trust
- Research-grounded frameworks to strengthen collective teacher efficacy
- Practical tools and reflection prompts for sensemaking and shared ownership
Education leaders will learn how to move beyond merely surviving challenges to intentionally designing human-centered learning environments. Ultimately, students will benefit from a cohesive, agile community where they feel supported and are fully equipped to learn and flourish.
Table Of Contents:
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- Introduction
- Why This Book? Why Now? Why Resilience?
- The Imperative: Resilience as a System, Not an Individual Pursuit
- How This Book Supports You, the Education Leader
- How to Use This Book
- Lead Your School’s Resilience Journey
- Don’t Travel Alone: Learn and Lead Together
- CHAPTER 1: Anchoring Resilience in a Clear Vision
- The Power of Clear Vision in a Resilient School
- Resilience in Contemporary Education Leadership
- What It Means to Be a Resilient School
- Why Resilience May Feel Elusive to Achieve
- The Mindsets of a Resilient School
- An Antidote to Uncertainty: A Clear, Collective Vision
- The Role of the Leader in Cultivating Resilience
- Co-Creating Vision: From Shared Meaning to Collective Resilience
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 2: Cultivating a Resilient School Culture
- Why School Culture Matters
- The Role of Culture in Cultivating Resilience
- Psychological Safety: The Cornerstone of a Resilient School Culture
- From Theory to Practice: Bringing Psychological Safety to Life
- The ADAPT Framework
- Cultivate Relational Trust to Sustain a Resilient Culture
- Turn Shared Vision Into Collective Direction
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 3: Building Resilient Teams
- Why Human-Centered Team Leadership Matters
- Human-Centered Leadership Builds Resilient Teams
- The Three Interconnected Dimensions of Human-Centered Leadership
- Well-Being, Belonging, and Empathy: The Foundation of Resilient Teams
- Practical Strategies for Supporting Resilient Teams
- Empowering and Investing in Staff
- Creating Individualized Growth Pathways
- Distributed Leadership Opportunities
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 4: Strengthening Collective Efficacy
- Why Collective Efficacy Matters
- The Intersections of Efficacy and Resilience
- Reflection Guides Collective Belief in Impact
- Developing the Enabling Conditions for Efficacy to Thrive
- Elevating Empowerment and Collaboration
- Strengthening Collective Efficacy Through Professional Learning Communities
- The Connection Between PLCs, Collective Efficacy, and Resilience
- The End Result: Embedded Collective Efficacy
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 5: Deepening Resilience Through Evaluative Thinking
- Why Evaluative Thinking Matters
- Developing a Discipline of Curiosity
- Evidence as the Engine of Resilient Schools
- Building the Conditions for Evaluative Thinking
- Turning Evidence into Action to Advance Learning
- The Payoff: Resilient Schools Learn
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next
- CHAPTER 6: Fostering Coherence and Alignment
- Why Coherence and Alignment Matter
- Coherence as a Catalyst for Resilience and Results
- Coherence Mapping to Align Priorities
- Coherence Mapping Tool
- Communicating with Clarity to Drive Coherence
- From Fragmentation to Focus: Using Coherence and Communication to Build Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 7: Leading Instruction in Resilient Schools
- Why Leading Instruction Matters
- From Foundation to Practice: Activating Instructional Leadership
- Cultivating Inquiry Through Instructional Rounds
- Establishing Effective Instructional Round Structures
- From Reports to Rounds: Deepening Instructional Inquiry Through Evidence
- Sustaining Resilient Instructional Leadership Through Inquiry
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 8: Nurturing Future-Ready Mindsets
- Why Future-Ready Mindsets Matter
- Reframing a Future-Ready Orientation
- Transforming Resilient Schools in a BANI World
- Structures That Support Resilience
- Advancing a Future-Ready Vision Amid Uncertainty
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- CHAPTER 9: Building an Agile School Community
- Why Agility Matters
- Organizational Agility in Schools
- Mindful Systems Create Agile Schools
- The Mediating Role of Social Capital
- The Significance of Agility in Today’s World
- Learning in the Age of Agility
- The Agile Manifesto for Learning
- The Promise and the Path Forward
- Big Ideas
- What’s Next
- CHAPTER 10: Leading for Sustained Resilience
- Why Sustained Resilience Matters
- From Initiatives to Identity: Embedding Resilience as a Way of Being
- Leveraging the ADAPT Framework for Long-Term Gains
- Leadership Over Time: Stewardship, Consistency, and Adaptive Commitment
- Systems That Hold Under Pressure: Designing for Durability and Renewal
- Resilience Across Transitions: Leading Change Without Losing Coherence
- Recognizing Blind Spots in Leading Resilience
- Carrying the Work Forward: A Living Vision for Resilient Schools
- The Big Ideas
- What’s Next?
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Recent Product Reviews:
"Leading Resilient Schools offers a timely and powerful roadmap for education leaders navigating the complexities facing today’s school systems. Stollar, Prendergast, and Lee skillfully translate research into practical leadership moves that strengthen vision, culture, and collective efficacy. This book is an invaluable resource for leaders committed to building resilient communities that adapt, persevere, and thrive through change."
Bryan O’Black, Superintendent of Schools, Shaler Area School District, PA
"What sets Leading Resilient Schools apart is the rare combination of deep experience and practical wisdom that Stollar, Prendergast, and Lee bring to every page. Their insights on communicating with clarity to drive coherence are refreshingly grounded rather than theoretical. They understand that coherence isn't built through structures alone; it thrives when leaders use intentional messaging and sensemaking routines to reinforce shared meaning. By recognizing that clarity is subjective and exists when educators at every level can articulate priorities with confidence, the authors offer leaders a transformative framework. Their collective wisdom cuts through the noise of educational fads, providing actionable strategies that truly work. This is the kind of book that can change how leaders think and lead."
Dennis M. Williams, Jr., Director of Secondary Education, North Penn School District, PA
"Leading Resilient Schools provided essential guidance as I developed a clear school vision, strengthened a cohesive professional culture, and worked to reduce teacher turnover in Pennsylvania’s most diverse school. The book’s practical lessons supported our efforts to build resilience across our students, staff, and community while navigating today’s complex political, social, and emotional challenges."
Joseph Intrieri, Central Dauphin East High School
"As a former student of Dr. Stollar and now a middle school principal, I’ve had the chance to see this work come full circle. Leading Resilient Schools puts into words the kind of leadership our schools need — grounded, thoughtful, and focused on people. It offers clear ideas and real examples that help leaders move their schools forward, even when things feel uncertain. Leading Resilient Schools gives leaders practical strategies we can actually use to build stronger school communities."
Tuesday Hufnagel, Dover Area Middle School
"This is a must-read book for school leaders- new or seasoned-who desire to improve their schools through resiliency. Drawing on research and authentic leadership experiences, the book delivers a powerful framework, with practical strategies, relatable scenarios, and reflective practices that foster resiliency. While reading, you will quickly recognize the authors’ deep insights into this topic and experience many enlightening ‘aha’ moments."
Vicki Denmark